The subject invention concerns a prefabricated balcony platform including attachment members to secure the platform to the wall of the building and apertures for erecting and securing a balcony parapet to the platform.
According to building construction standard specifications, balcony platforms for mult-storey buildings must be constructed and designed to ensure that in the event of a fire they are able to serve as guard screens to prevent the fire from spreading upwards to the storeys above. According to authority regulations balcony platforms therefore must be able to withstand certain temperatures for a predetermined period of time without impairment to their structural strength.
A consequence of this regulation is that almost without exception balcony platforms hitherto have had to be made from reinforced concrete. This material meet the fire protection requirements but suffers from the disadvantage of being comparatively heavy. In addition, one has found that the increasing acidification of the air erodes the concrete and corrodes the reinforcement irons, thus causing serious damages which in time make this type of balcony platforms unsafe to walk on.
Attempts have been made to replace the concrete with other types of material, such as aluminium. However, the melting point of this material is too low to meet the fire protection safety standards. For this reason attempts have been made to use refractory material to screen off load-carrying aluminium components from the effects of heat. However, such constructions become so heavy and expensive that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages of using aluminium.